One Fateful Night
by Sandpiper
Summary: A missing scene from the bathtub scene in Hollywood AD


Listen up little children and I will tell you a tale

One Fateful Night

Listen up little children and I will tell you a tale, about one fateful night. This night a man was heartbroken, and woman was ashamed   
and bald guy named Skinner, doesn't know it.............be he's the one the gets blamed.

This may sound kinda funny, but I swear it's true,  
it's about three FBI agents in the bathtub.  
  
On this night, everything seemed calm, and peaceful, and serene.....................but when someone mentioned Garry Shandling, things started to get ugly.

*********Scully*********

"Really?" is his only response to my little joke. I'm in a playful mood so I decide to keep teasing him.

"Yeah, he said you're really cute." I say

"Scully....are you joking?" he asks. Oh this is too fun! I think.

"Nope I gave him your room key."

"What?!?!" he yells, upon which I burst out laughing. 

"SCULEEEEEE!!!!!" he whines. That makes me laugh even harder. "That was mean!"

"I know, but I like have fun" I say once I am able to contain my laughter.

"Are you coming onto me?" he asks

"What? Where'd you get that from?" I ask

"Well you said you like to have fun....what kind of fun Scully?" he says coquettishly. I sigh, damn it! I'm sick of these little come on's and innuendoes, that he thinks are so cute! It's been seven years, the wine and the relaxed atmosphere have made me more bold than I normally would be, so I decide that tonight is the night I will find out how he really fells about me......and I know just how to do it.

"You're such an asshole Mulder!"

"Thanks I do what I can." he says laughing

"Yeah well at least some men know how to treat me right!" I say sounding irritated.

"Like uhh...like who." he asks. No more jokes huh Mulder? I think with a grin.

"Why should I tell you?" I tease

"Because I asked?" he offers

"HA you'll have to give me a better reason than that!" I say in a mocking tone

"Because I'm your friend?"

"So that gives you a right to poke your nose into my business?" I snap, "Is that what your saying?"

"No, I just.....why won't you tell me?" he demands

"Because I don't want to" I say, and sip my wine, I'm already getting nervous. "And I can't talk about this all night he's coming over soon."

"He's.....here....in California?" Mulder asks sounding not too thrilled.

"Yeah, just came out a while ago. I hope he remembered to stop by the drug store like I told him to."

"The, the what?" he says. I cannot believe how daring I'm being, I think to myself, maybe I've had too much to drink....either that or not enough.

"I hope the hotel staff doesn't bother us, we haven't been together in a while" I say in a dreamy tone.

"Wha?" is all he's able to get out. "How long?"

"Umm......since the afternoon we started the case with Cardinal O'Fallon" I say

"But uhhhhh....I, I thought Skinner needed you to do paper work that day" I says sounding kinda scared.

"Oh!!!! Ummm, yeah my mistake. I was doing.....paper work that day. I must mean another day" I say **nock, nock, nock** The timing could not be more perfect. "Oh there he is! I gotta go, bye Mulder!" I hang up, before he's able to say anything else. I then sigh, and gulp down another glass of wine....please say I haven't made a mistake. If he does show up at my door like I want him to, then what will I do? Jump him?......well it's not a bad idea, I probably won't have the guts to though. I'm hoping for at least a kiss though. I remember the kiss we shared on new years, he looked so cute, especially his little joke afterward "the world didn't end"......**nock, nock, nock** I suddenly and brought back to earth, when I realize there really is someone at the door. I get out of the tub, put on a robe and go to answer to door. I ordered some dinner so I'm expecting it to be room service, but of course with my luck it's, of all people, the guy I implied I was having an affair with to see if my partner loves me.......that's right Walter Skinner.

"Agent Scully, hi" he says.

"What are you doing here?!" I ask rather rudely without thinking. I thought he was taking a bath!!!!!!!

"I hope I haven't interrupted" he says

"Oh, uhh....no sir" I say

"Are you okay? You look kinda pale" he says solicitously. 

"I'm fine" I say

"Can I come in?" he asks

"Ummm... sure" I say and grab his jacket and quickly pull him onto the room shutting the door behind us.

"Agent Scully are you okay? You acting very strange!"

"No, no I'm good." I say trying to relax a little.

"Well I'm going out and I wanted to apologize for being so hard on you on the O'Fallon case" he explains

"Oh well thank you sir" I say, hoping to get him to leave, suddenly there is a sound that practically gives me a heart attack **nock, nock, nock** I freeze. 

**nock, nock, nock**

"You gonna answer the door?" Skinnner asks.

After struggling to find my voice I manage to ask "Who's there?"

"Room service!" a voice calls, I open the door and let the guy carrying my tray of food in, I never thought I'd be so happy to see some scrawny teenage boy in a red suit. I take the tray and pay him.

"Well good night agent" Skinner says

"Night" I say and give him an attempt at a smile, he goes out the door and I'm alone. I collapse onto the bed with relief. 

~~~~~

I waited for hours, I have no idea when I feel asleep, all I know is that when I woke up at 8:30 the next morning I was alone. 

A maid opens the door.

"No, no! I need some.....please leave me alone!" I say in begging tone. She sighs with annoyance and leaves, making sure to show me the "Do Not Disturb" sign which she puts on the door as she leaves. I break down. He didn't come to me, and now he thinks I'm sleeping with Skinner!!!! And it's all my fault!!! How could I have done this!?!?! I feel so ashamed of myself I just want to crawl into the floor and die. I get up and head into the bathroom so that I can take a shower and try to wash the shame away.

*******Mulder*******

The line goes dead and I hear nothing but I dial tone, I put the phone down slowly. She must be joking! Her and...and...no way!!! Even if she likes him he's our boss, and she's not the type that would become involved with her superior.....would she? I have to find out, I get out of the tub without bothering to open the drain. I quickly put on my clothes and shoes, then head toward the elevator. I reconsider since it'll probably take forever since Scully's room is on the sixth floor and mine's on the first, so I decide to take the stairs, I go up them not realizing that I'm practically running. Maybe she WAS just joking! He couldn't be at her room, he said he was taking a bath! I open the door into the sixth floor and race to the end of the hall, thinking to myself "turn right, and Scully's room should be at the end of the hall" I turn right and at the very end of the hall Skinner IS there!!!!! A hand reaches out, grabs his jacket, and yanks him inside closing the door behind them. I feel like someone shot me in the gut, I try to brace myself against the wall. There's a lump in my throat the size of a watermelon. I don't know if I should cry or throw up.....I have an urge to do both. I slowly turn and make my way to the elevator. Once inside I push the button for the lobby, on the way down I can't help but imagine Scully grabbing Skinner and pulling him into her room and a passionate kiss. I quickly try to banish the thought from my mind. Their relationship must the fairly new, if she misses him that much after only a couple days. I'm positive they haven't been together for seven years, which is almost as long as I've been in love with her. The thought is very depressing, perhaps we could have been together if I had just told her how I felt sooner, but no! I had to wait until she gave me the ultimate hint that she was sick and tired of me. Now it's too late, I've lost her, you see Scully's my angel, she was always there for me, she always helped me.....she always understood me which is something that cannot be said about a lot of people. I love her more than I thought possible, it's not about her looks, don't get me wrong she's one of the hottest women alive, what I love most about her is how she never stops amazing me, how she always keeps me on my toes one moment she's saying that there must be a rational explanation, and the next she's suggesting spontaneous human combustion. None of that matters now, I had plenty of time and I wasted it. I walk through the lobby and out the front door to find a bar where I can drink myself into a stupor.

~~~~~~

I wake up the next morning around 8:30, I'm laying side ways on my bed at the hotel room. I guess I came back last night then passed out, I hardly remember anything after I left. I kinda wish I could forget it all. I look around my room, then decide to go see Scully. Since I'm so hung over I take the elevator. I don't know what I'm gonna say I just need to see her. I get off at the sixth floor, and walk to her room, I'm about to nock but I the notice the "Do Not Disturb" sign hanging on the door. I imagine Skinner and Scully sleeping peacefully in each other's arms. So I turn around and walk away........................so this is what heartbreak feels like.

********Skinner********

I walked across the lobby and into the breakfast room at the hotel. I see Agent Mulder there taking some pills, aspirin I assume, with a cup of coffee. He looks terrible, there are huge circles under his eyes like he hasn't slept in a week, he's possibly depressed and almost certainly hung over. "Good morning Agent Mulder" I say politely. He gives me a look like he wants to strangle me. What the hell?

"Morning sir" is his only response

"Are you and Agent Scully flying back to DC today?" I sit down and ask.

"Yes sir" he says deadpan

"Me too, we can share a cab to the airport." I suggest, I sip my coffee and scan the front page of the newspaper. "You'll tell Scully?"

He gives me another resentful look "Wouldn't you rather? It's a good excuse to go up there!" he snaps

I look up from the paper "Excuse me?"

He stands and says, "I'm gonna go get packed." then walks away. I look after him, feeling very confused. 

I finish breakfast then go to my room to pack. I meet Mulder in the lobby, he gets a taxi for us and I call up to Agent Scully's room. "I'll be down in a minute" is all she says. She comes down a few minutes later carrying her luggage. He appearance shocks me. She also looks exhausted, and her eyes are red and puffy...likes she's been crying. Why would she cry? I walk over and offer to put her bags in the trunk for her, she hands them to me and whispers very softly "thank you" As I load her stuff in, she opens the door and gets in. Once she's in Mulder, who was already in the back, gets out the other side and moves around to the front passenger seat. I do not fail to notice this. I slam the trunk and open the door, Scully moves over to give me some room. As we take off I notice Scully's head is turned away, but I see her reflection in the window. She IS crying! No sobbing or noise of any kind, but she has tears silently running down her face. I'm at a loss as to what to do, should I say something? Should I pretend I don't notice and leave her alone? I happen to glance into the rear-view mirror and Mulder's face. It's like a stone, he looks in pain, like he himself is trying not to cry. What the hell?! Maybe some of those stupid water cooler rumors about them are true? I ponder over this idea until, we arrive at the airport. Surprisingly Scully's able to hide that's she was crying very well, as we go in and walk to the terminal she's looks just fine. I would never have suspected if I hadn't seen her. However it's quite obvious that something's wrong, because although she hides her tears well she's not doing as good a job hiding her emotions, neither is Mulder for that matter. We sit at the terminal waiting for the boarding call, Scully heads to the coffee shop and Mulder busies himself with a book.

"Agent Mulder is everything okay? You look upset about something." I say wondering if I can help

"I might be" he says

"Is there anything I can do?" I ask

"You've done enough!!!!" he says bitterly and looks back at his book. Again what the hell?!?! So why am I the one to blame????????????


End file.
